Birmingham to Stratford Line
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham to Stratford Line, also known as the North Warwickshire Line is a commuter
railway line predominantly in the West Midlands
region
of the United Kingdom
. It runs from Birmingham
to Stratford-upon-Avon
, Warwickshire
, now the southern terminus of the line, although the line originally continued to Cheltenham
as part of the Great Western Railway
route from Birmingham to Bristol
. Services on the line are currently operated by London Midland
.
The line is not electrified and is operated by Class 150 diesel multiple units.
The line is one of the Snow Hill Lines
.
In future, it will be operated by Class 172 "Turbostar"
diesel multiple units.
The line between Shirley and Stratford was resignalled by Network Rail in 2009/2010, replacing the Semaphore Signals in place, and improving platform access at Stratford. This resignalling saw Shirley terminating services extended to Whitlocks End station, to serve the Dickens Heath community.
The line was of particular significance in that it formed part of a final surge of what was effectively main line railway building in Britain (as distinct from the ongoing opening of branch lines) which eventually terminated with WWI. The Great Western's contribution to this surge included other route-shortening projects on the London-Birmingham and London-Taunton routes. Taken as a whole, these projects were designed to counter the description of the Great Western Railway as the "Great Way Round".
The line provided a new service to Henley-in-Arden, rendering redundant the original Great Western branch from Rowington Junction to Henley, which closed to passengers in 1915.
The North Warwickshire Line was effectively Great Western from the start, being adopted by that company because, in conjunction with the newly opened Honeybourne to Cheltenham line, it provided a much shorter link between the company's West Midlands heartlands and the South West of England and South Wales than existing routes via Oxford and Hereford. It thus placed the Great Western in a position to compete with the Birmingham to Bristol route of the Midland Railway.
The line placed Stratford-upon-Avon firmly on the railway map. Long distance express trains now linked the town with most parts of Britain, whereas previously it was served only by the single line between Hatton and Honeybourne. The single line between Hatton and Bearley was not in fact doubled until 1939.
Local services were operated initially by rail motors. Between Wootton Wawen and Wilmcote, these services were routed via Bearley on the line to Hatton (then a single line), where they reversed. Bearley also acted as the terminus for the branch line to Alcester on the Barnt Green to Ashchurch via Evesham line of the Midland Railway.
was opened more or less simultaneously with The North Warwickshire Line. Unlike the current station, it was a terminus, and served some local trains on the Leamington Spa line as well as those to Stratford. It was closed on Sundays, when all trains ran instead to and from Snow Hill.
A pioneering diesel railcar service with buffet commenced running in 1934 between Birmingham and Cardiff, running non-stop through Stratford. This was so successful that it had to be expanded to a three car train consisting of a standard carriage sandwiched between two railcars. Even this was insufficient for demand, and led rapidly to replacement by a normal locomotive hauled composition. However, during the wartime suspension, the railcar service was reinstated at times before the steam hauled service finally took over after WWII. At that time, two such trains ran to and from Cardiff daily, and a stop at Stratford was introduced.
. It will be adjacent to the A46 bypass.
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
railway line predominantly in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
region
Regions of England
In England, the region is the highest tier of sub-national division used by central Government. Between 1994 and 2011, the nine regions had an administrative role in the implementation of UK Government policy, and as the areas covered by elected bodies...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It runs from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
to Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, now the southern terminus of the line, although the line originally continued to Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
as part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
route from Birmingham to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. Services on the line are currently operated by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
.
The line is not electrified and is operated by Class 150 diesel multiple units.
The line is one of the Snow Hill Lines
Snow Hill Lines
The Snow Hill Lines are railway lines running through Birmingham Snow Hill railway station, Birmingham, United Kingdom. All other lines to/through Birmingham use station.The three Snow Hill lines are:...
.
In future, it will be operated by Class 172 "Turbostar"
British Rail Class 172
The Class 172 is a type of diesel multiple unit of the Turbostar family, similar to the Class 168, Class 170 and Class 171.-Technical details and variants :There will be four sub-types:*Class 172/0 - two-car units in operation with London Overground...
diesel multiple units.
The line between Shirley and Stratford was resignalled by Network Rail in 2009/2010, replacing the Semaphore Signals in place, and improving platform access at Stratford. This resignalling saw Shirley terminating services extended to Whitlocks End station, to serve the Dickens Heath community.
Origins and importance
The line originated as the Birmingham and North Warwickshire Railway. This was promoted as an independent railway company under the auspices of the Great Western Railway, and opened in 1908. It provided a link between Tyseley and Bearley, giving an alternative and slightly shorter route between its ends than the existing route via Lapworth, which latter was single track between Hatton and Stratford (and on to Honeybourne).The line was of particular significance in that it formed part of a final surge of what was effectively main line railway building in Britain (as distinct from the ongoing opening of branch lines) which eventually terminated with WWI. The Great Western's contribution to this surge included other route-shortening projects on the London-Birmingham and London-Taunton routes. Taken as a whole, these projects were designed to counter the description of the Great Western Railway as the "Great Way Round".
The line provided a new service to Henley-in-Arden, rendering redundant the original Great Western branch from Rowington Junction to Henley, which closed to passengers in 1915.
The North Warwickshire Line was effectively Great Western from the start, being adopted by that company because, in conjunction with the newly opened Honeybourne to Cheltenham line, it provided a much shorter link between the company's West Midlands heartlands and the South West of England and South Wales than existing routes via Oxford and Hereford. It thus placed the Great Western in a position to compete with the Birmingham to Bristol route of the Midland Railway.
The line placed Stratford-upon-Avon firmly on the railway map. Long distance express trains now linked the town with most parts of Britain, whereas previously it was served only by the single line between Hatton and Honeybourne. The single line between Hatton and Bearley was not in fact doubled until 1939.
Local services were operated initially by rail motors. Between Wootton Wawen and Wilmcote, these services were routed via Bearley on the line to Hatton (then a single line), where they reversed. Bearley also acted as the terminus for the branch line to Alcester on the Barnt Green to Ashchurch via Evesham line of the Midland Railway.
Moor Street station
Moor Street stationBirmingham Moor Street railway station
Birmingham Moor Street railway station is one of three main railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham, England. The Grade II listed old station building has been partially renovated to its 1930s condition at a cost of £11 million....
was opened more or less simultaneously with The North Warwickshire Line. Unlike the current station, it was a terminus, and served some local trains on the Leamington Spa line as well as those to Stratford. It was closed on Sundays, when all trains ran instead to and from Snow Hill.
The line as a main line - 1908 to c1967
From the start, the line carried long-distance services from the West Midlands to Bristol, South Wales, and the South West of England. These were suspended during WWI, then developed in the 1920s and '30s, were suspended again in WWII, finally reaching their peak in the 1950s, at which time three or four such trains traversed the line each weekday. The doyen of these services was always the daily train from Wolverhampton to Penzance, latterly named "The Cornishman".A pioneering diesel railcar service with buffet commenced running in 1934 between Birmingham and Cardiff, running non-stop through Stratford. This was so successful that it had to be expanded to a three car train consisting of a standard carriage sandwiched between two railcars. Even this was insufficient for demand, and led rapidly to replacement by a normal locomotive hauled composition. However, during the wartime suspension, the railcar service was reinstated at times before the steam hauled service finally took over after WWII. At that time, two such trains ran to and from Cardiff daily, and a stop at Stratford was introduced.
Holiday traffic
The North Warwickshire Line played a significant role in the huge summer Saturday exodus (and return) of Midlands holidaymakers to the South West of England, a traffic which built up during the 1920s and reached its peak in the 1950s. In the published public timetables, the regular "Cornishman" ran in up to four sections, and these were supplemented by many others. On the two or three peak Saturdays in July/August yet more special trains were added. This yielded a procession of very long express trains along the line, at intervals sometimes as short as 10 minutes or less, for two or three hours, and was regarded as something of a local phenomenon. Moor Street station was called into use for some of these services. A similar situation arose during the late afternoon and evening, this being less intensive being spread over a longer period.Frequency
Current daytime service levels between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham are one train per hour, and a further 2 trains per hour between Whitlocks End and Birmingham, meaning a 3 trains per hour service exists between Whitlocks End and Birmingham. On summer Sundays, a steam service is operated by Vintage Trains between Birmingham and Stratford.Future
A station is proposed north of Stratford, called Stratford Parkway railway stationStratford Parkway railway station
Stratford Parkway is a prospective new parkway railway station at Bishopton in the north of Stratford-Upon-Avon, United Kingdom.It would be located on the Birmingham to Stratford Line, and would be adjacent to the A46 trunk road...
. It will be adjacent to the A46 bypass.